Last month, we reported on a local poet, Isabel Friedrichs of Rochester, who had just self-published her first collection. We caught up with Isabel, following the release of The Blue Series: Poems on Love, Loss, and Learning to Heal and her having returned to Worcester Polytechnic Institute for her final semester before graduating with a degree in Environmental Engineering.
Friedrichs’ story is not dissimilar to many others, but her usage of her art as a coping mechanism and outlet for her feeling show that even analytical fields, seemingly devoid of art from the outside, still contain those expressive individuals who yearn to create. It is also telling the power of local teachers, notably Nathan Orie, Michael Beson, and Merrideth Wickman were all called out for their inspiration to Friedrichs and their honing of her interest in English Arts, which still persists even with her dedication to STEM and Environmental Science.
The following are the words direct from The Wanderer’s interview with Friedrichs, as any alteration of such seems a disservice to her and her work.
Q: “What was your inspiration to release the book, to actually take your poetry and put it out there?”
A: “It has been a long time coming, but it was almost impulsive to just pull the trigger to publish. I had told myself that I would publish it once I graduate, but then one day this fall I just had the thought, why not now? I had looked into the publishing process and Amazon said, ‘72 hours after you submit your manuscript, your book will be ready to purchase.’ So, I decided now is as good a time as any. I was basically done staying quiet, I was done being scared, I was done being embarrassed of the things that had happened to me, and I was ready to do that in as loud of a way as I could.
“I have been through a lot between now and in middle school when I started writing, and for a while I thought that being quiet, not causing any trouble, not saying anything about my experiences would be best. I spent years, through to the first couple years of college submitting myself to the stigma around mental health and sexual assault and grief and all of those heavy topics, and I did not talk about it with anyone – so my poetry became my outlet.”
Q: “When you started writing poetry in high school (or was it earlier?), did you foresee yourself eventually publishing it?”
A: “I started writing in middle school, actually. My English teacher, Mr. Orie at ORR (Old Rochester Regional), encouraged us to explore and study different aspects of our creativity with writing. Back then I would never have predicted that I would write a whole book.
“I think I wrote a few poems throughout middle school and high school for assignments and for various creative writing courses, but when I got to college, I didn’t have any assignments that were poetry based, so I continued on my own. I think I just used poetry as an outlet for all of my big, scary emotions that I was feeling and never would have thought myself brave enough to share with the whole world. I barely shared my poetry with anyone, even up until publication, but now, anyone that wants to can read my words, and I have found it to be freeing. I spent so many years writing and keeping quiet that it feels like a weight off my shoulders to finally have the words out there.”
Q: “Another inspiration question: What do you see as main inspirations in writing? I’m sure life has changed between high school and college. How did that change things?”
A: “I love poetry so much because it takes those big, scary feelings and thoughts and just puts them on the page, right out front for everyone to see them. I think those emotions and thoughts as well as nature and the beauty in everyday life are my main inspirations.
“Growing up, I have always been ‘sensitive’ and I cry easily, but I’ve learned to love my big feelings and emotions. Just the act of publishing this book is showing that it takes strength to be soft. Another big inspiration of mine is other poetry authors like Courtney Peppernell and Whitney Hanson, who have written books that deeply impacted my writing. My education as I mentioned earlier also shaped me to be more comfortable in exploring my creativity; Mr. Orie in middle school and Mr. Beson and Ms. Wickman in high school really pushed me to want to keep writing.
“I am attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute, studying Environmental Engineering. So, going away to college is a continuous struggle between my yearning for the art world and my studies in STEM. I definitely felt like I didn’t belong, but I soon learned to use my artwork as a coping mechanism at the school that seems to never rest. All the things that change when people grow up came with my high-school-to-college transition, as I’m sure I will get hit with another wave in my post-college transition, and I hope that other young people like me can feel a little less alone after reading my book.”
Isabel’s book, The Blue Series: Poems on Love, Loss, and Learning to Heal, is available on Amazon.
Local Poet Isabel Friedrichs Interview
By Sam Bishop